Background
He was born on March 31, 1933, the son of the Emir of Katsina, the right hand man of the late, all powerful Sardauna of Sokoto.
He was born on March 31, 1933, the son of the Emir of Katsina, the right hand man of the late, all powerful Sardauna of Sokoto.
Educated at Katsina Middle School, Kaduna College and the Institute of Administration and the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, all at Zaria.
He joined the army in 1956 and trained as a cadet in Ghana and Britain (Aldershot, Sandhurst, Small Arms School and School of Infantry). Returning to Nigeria in July 1959, he was an intelligence officer with the UN Peace Keeping Force in the Congo in 1961. In 1962 he did further training on infantry manoeuvres in the USA and returned to be appointed Company Commander of the 5th Battalion. He spent most of 1964 on a course at the Staff College, Camberlcy to become a squadron leader in January 1965 and six months later a regimental commander.
In the coup of January 15, 1966, he was confronted by Major Nzcogwu, one of the coup leaders and a group of armed rebels. Later, when General Ironsi asserted control in Lagos, Katsina was appointed the new Governor in the North. Northerners were resentful at what they considered as an Ibo coup against their leaders. When tension exploded in anti-Ibo riots in May, Katsina was on tour in the provinces. He rushed back to Kaduna and ordered the troops to stop the riots. Katsina expressed Northern feelings strongly to Ironsi but little action was taken and finally on July 29 came the second Nigerian coup by the younger Northern officers. Katsina, remaining loyal to the constitutional government, was held for a short while by the mutineers but later released and left with only the poorly armed police to restore order.
He supported the emergence of General Gowon as the new leader and became his most valuable commander, playing a major part in keeping the whole of the North loyal to the Federal cause. When the North was divided into seven states on May 27, 1967, he was appointed Administrator. He was also Chief of Staff directing operations in the two and a half years war. Appointed a major-general on June 30, 1971, he then ranked fifth in the Nigerian army. He remained Chief of Staff until February 1972 when he went on a one year’s course to the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.
He returned to Nigeria in December 1972 and to newsmen made the remark, “Who of you does not known that this country is sick—from the policy makers and executives to the least members of the public?” He said he would possibly become an Emir after leaving the army in four years (1976).
Son of one of the most powerful rulers in the North, with a wide liberal education; keen on polo, riding and shooting, he was promoted rapidly in the Nigerian army, emerging as the Federation reached its hour of crisis. Not involved personally in either of the major coups, he found himself delicately balancing between loyalty to the constitutional governments and his sympathies with his Northern countrymen.